Ch. 121Moryo
Chapter Summary: “Moryo”
Key Plot Points and Events
- Doichi Hyuga organizes a mission to stop Moryo and his army of soldier puppets. Guy, Kakashi, Temari, and the Sand shinobi are assigned to fight the puppets, while Doichi accompanies Shion to the shrine in the Land of Swamps.
- Doichi and Shion travel to the shrine on the Dao Lord Sword. Outside, Kakashi, Guy, Temari, and the others hold back the attacking puppets.
- Inside the shrine, Moryo reveals that he resembles the former shrine maiden Miroku because he is connected to the shrine-maiden lineage. He claims that killing him requires killing Shion, since the shrine maiden and Moryo are two halves of the same existence.
- Moryo explains that successive shrine maidens expelled their negative emotions and Baleful Aura, eventually creating him as a separate entity composed entirely of darkness and ill omen.
- Shion begins the sealing ritual, but Moryo uses Yomi’s corpse to disrupt the formation and causes the ground beneath Shion to collapse. He attempts to trap and devour both Shion and Doichi.
- Doichi rescues Shion and removes the bell around her neck, realizing that it has been suppressing—not protecting—her power.
- Encouraged by Doichi, Shion awakens her full inherited strength. She gains a radiant golden appearance, red markings, and access to the memories and power of previous shrine maidens.
- Shion initially believes she must sacrifice herself to destroy Moryo, but Doichi stops her and asks her to lend him her power.
- Combining his own abilities with Shion’s energy, Doichi unleashes the Sage Art: Seven Releases: Yin-Yang Five Elements Sword, which tears through Moryo’s black mist and reduces it to less than a tenth of its original size.
Character Developments
- Doichi Hyuga demonstrates overwhelming combat ability, quickly destroying the soldier puppets and resisting Moryo’s attacks. He also analyzes the nature of Shion’s power and recognizes that the bell has been suppressing her abilities.
- Shion evolves from a frightened and hesitant shrine maiden into a powerful, confident spiritual figure. She confronts the truth about Moryo, inherits the memories of past shrine maidens, and begins to understand her role and power.
- Moryo is revealed to be more than a conventional demon: he is the accumulated darkness and negative energy expelled by generations of shrine maidens. His confidence begins to collapse once Shion awakens and Doichi’s attack severely weakens him.
- Kakashi, Guy, Temari, and the others serve as the defensive force outside the shrine, preventing Moryo’s puppets from interfering with the sealing mission.
Significant Themes
- Inherited power and memory: Shion receives the experiences and strength of earlier shrine maidens, connecting her to a long spiritual lineage.
- The duality of good and evil: Moryo is presented as the discarded darkness of the shrine maidens, suggesting that evil was created by separating and suppressing negative emotions rather than resolving them.
- Fate versus choice: Shion believes she is destined to die alongside Moryo, but Doichi challenges this predetermined fate and offers her another path.
- Suppressed potential: The bell symbolizes how Shion’s true abilities have been restrained. Removing it allows her to access her full strength.
- Cooperation and trust: Shion must trust Doichi with her power, while Doichi relies on her spiritual abilities to defeat Moryo.
Character Interactions
- Doichi takes command of the mission and assigns the teams, while Temari readily accepts his strategy.
- Shion explains to Doichi that she foresaw him helping seal Moryo, establishing her trust in him and hinting at his importance to the future.
- Moryo attempts to frighten and manipulate Shion by claiming that she must die for him to be destroyed.
- Doichi protects Shion from the puppets, encourages her to awaken her power, and later prevents her from sacrificing herself.
- Shion and Doichi combine their abilities in the climactic attack, while Moryo reacts with panic and pain as his form is steadily destroyed.
The chapter ends with Moryo severely weakened but not yet completely defeated.